cardamom and coconut french toast + george foreman giveaway.

i think i've had a craving for french toast ever since i didn't get to a chance to go to le schmuck in paris earlier this year. the idea of sweet crunchy bread with a hint of spice and a dollop of good quality ice cream sounds like a dessert i would devour in seconds. i just hadn't really considered that i could make it myself.

enter the new style george foreman, which i was kindly gifted to try out. at first i thought oh yes i've heard you can do all sorts of healthy grilling recipes on these. then i read the recipe book and saw french toast. sorry heathy eating, the naughty side of gastronomy wins this time.

i fancied trying a twist on the classic, with sweet asian flavours inspired by ras malai i once made. so instead of milk, this recipe uses cinnamon and cardamom infused coconut milk and a light and crunchy dusting of coconut. shopping list. (serves two) ♥ four slices of bread, left out to dry ♥ half a tin of coconut milk ♥ 4 cardamom pods ♥ 2 tsp cinnamon powder ♥ 1 egg, beaten ♥ 2 tsp desiccated coconut ♥ the best vanilla bean ice cream you can afford

step one. leave your bread out to dry and cut off the crusts.

step two. in a small saucepan, gently infuse the coconut milk with cardamom pods for around 10 minutes on a low heat. stir through the cinnamon. take off the heat and remove the cardamom pods. step three. pour onto your bread and allow it to absorb all the coconut milk mix. keep feeding it the mix as it absorbs more, which will of course make it very soggy and delicate.

step four. carefully spread over the beaten egg and scatter with the desiccated coconut.

step five. heat up your grill, preferably a george foreman or similar so you can make the fancy grill lines. tip: remember to get your ice cream out the freezer so it isn't too difficult to scoop.

step six. use a fish slice or palette knife to transfer the bread onto the grill, press down and cook for at least 5 minutes until golden. perhaps a few more minutes if it needs it.

move to your desired plate, cut diagonally and place a generous scoop of ice cream on top.
voila! bon apetite mes amis!
and guess what, i cleaned the grill just as quickly and easily as i devoured the french toast. a great, lightweight, no fuss piece of equipment.

if you don't have a george foreman grill, no fear, here's your chance to win one of your own!
simply enter the rafflecopter below and a winner will be picked at random on sunday 5th october 2014. good luck!answer the question: what would be the first thing you'd make on the george foreman grill? a Rafflecopter giveawaynote: i was sent a george foreman grill for purposes of review and for a giveaway.

My first choice would definitely be cream cheese and salmon bagels. I like to slightly grill the bagels on the surface and leave them all soft on the inside, and this grill would be just perfect for that!